Mechanism for moving street-ca rs on curves



(No Modem I N. A. FISHER. V MECHANISM FOR MOVING STREET CARS 0N CURVES. No. 315,491; Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

Z Attorney STATES PATENT- Or ice.

NOBLE ANDREW FISHER, or SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,491, dated April 14, 1885.

Application filed February 2, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.- I v BeitknownthatLNOBLEANDREWFISHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sacanism for Moving Street-Cars on Curves, as

patented to me by Letters Patent of the United States dated December 11, 1883, and numbered 289,904, as more fully hereinafter speci- My invention relates to a cable railway, and particularly to the construction of the longitudinal waythrough which the cable passes; and the novelty consists in the arrangement and adaptation of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter set' forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims. In such roads or railways the cable always bears against the rollers upon the side toward which; the curvature tends, and when the clutch arrives atthe first roller of the hinged section the cable is forced away from those rollers, and the deflection of the cable extends for a considerable distance down the straight line. This deflection of the cable is caused by the fact that the clutch has to pass between it and the rollers arranged at the commencement of the curve. I provide that the cable way shall have a hinged section at the commencement of the curve, therollers upon which section shall, when the section is' in a normal position, hold the cable in proper line. Upon the approach of a car, and at a time when otherwise the clutch would be forced between the cable and stationary rollers, I provide that this hinged portion shall turn on its pivot sufficiently to allow the clutch to pass without deflecting the cable-in other words, that they shall automatically move to one side and allow the clutch to pass. I provide that as soon as the clutch has passed this portion of the way the said hinged portion shall again automatically reassume its normal position to properly support the cable in line. I provide that both these movements shall be accomplished automatically by the passing car.

For purposes of this description it will be assumed that the cable passes in a gutter between the tracks, and this gutter is provided upon either side and bottom with anti-friction rollers. Upon a curve the, rollers are only necessary upon the inner side of the curve.

The clamp which engages the cable is car-- ried-about centrally upon the car. The cable is moved bysuitable power, and the carspartake of the motion of the cable as the clamps upon the car engage and hold the cable.

The invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a cable way, showing a portion of a curve adjoining a straight line, the hinged sec- 5; C tion being understood to be the commence,-

ment of the curve. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the hinged section and the mechanism for operating it,the said section being represented in the position which it assumes when a car is passing after having acted upon roller d, Fig. 3 is aperspective view of a section of the way, taken at the pivotal portion of the movable section, and showing the mechanism. for restoringthe pivoted or movable section to its normal position. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the relationof important parts I when the movable section is in normal posi; 7 5

tion." Referring to the drawings, Adesignates a portion of a cable-way having horizontal roll; ers b and vertical rollers a. These parts are. j of any well-known constructiomexcept that I provide that the section which comprises the first vpart of the curve, andwhichisdesignated by the letter B, is hinged or pivoted to the stationary part, as seen at C, Fig. 1. r Y M designates a vertical frame, in which is j ournaled a rock-shaft, D and this rock-shaft carries a rigid arm, 0 with a friction-roller, 01 in its upper end, held in the path of a projecting portion of the car. An arm, a, rigid upon this rock-shaft D is connected byalink, 9o

D, with one arm of an elbow-lever, M, the other arm being pivoted to a vertically-slid ing post, F, having an inclined portion, f. The elbow-lever M is suitably pivoted at the junction of its two arms to any proper station- 95.

ary object, and the slide Fhas vertical movement in proper guides, G. p

A spring, E secured at one end to a stationary'staple, c and at the 'otherto the arm 6 serves with a constant force, through the rock-shaft D link D, and elbow-lever M, to hold the slide F in its lowest position, as seenn in Fig. 2. The hinged section'has a roller, I, journaled upon its free end, and this roller is rock-shaft'carries an arm, 9, which, by a link, I

f, is connected to an elbow-lever, H, pivoted at a proper stationary point, as shown. The other arm of this lever carries a pin, e, which,

when the slide F is in a normal position, en-

gages a socket, e, therein, and serves to hold the slide in its elevated position. A spring, E, serves to hold this pin into connection with the slide with a constant force, and when the pin and slide are engaged the parts assume the position seen in Fig. 4-that is to say,

with the roller I resting upon the incline f When in this position, the rollers a support the cable as the movable section B is forced away from the vertical plane of the slide F.

The operation of the device is obvious. The

standard or arm e is so arranged that it will i be engaged by some projecting portion of the passing car at the moment when the clutch is approaching the free end of the movable section in the direction indicated by the arrows. As the rock-shaft D is oscillated by the depression of the arm 6, the pin 6 is withdrawn from its socket e, and the movable section turns on its pivot by reason of the tension of the cable, the roller I bearing against the inclinef of the slide, and the clutch passes the first rollers of the movable section without deflection, and consequently without deflecting the cable along the straight line of track. As soon as the clutch has passed its depth around the curvature of the section B, the car strikes and depresses the arm e which action, through the connections described, forces up the slide F, when its incline f will engage the roller I during the movement of the former, until the movable section again assumes a normal po-. sition with its free end supporting the cable.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A railway having a plate provided with a hinged apron or section to prevent deflection of the rope or cable, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a'railway having a plate provided with a hinged section to prevent deflection of the rope or cable, of an inclined slide-bearing and means for operating the same to move the hinged section, substantially as specified.

3. The combination,with the plate adapted to move laterally,of a vertically-inclined slidebearing, angle-lever carrying a pin for engaging the slide-bearing, and means for operating the same, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the hinged 'section or apron, of the vertically-inclined slidebearing engaging the same, a transverse rockshaft having a vertical springarm, and intermediate devices for inserting and withdrawing the pin of the angle-lever from the slidebearing, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the plate having a hinged section,0f a rock-shaft having a fixed vertical arm provided with a spring, devices for connecting the said rock-shaft to avertical slide-bearing, and a rock-shaft having a similar arm, and devices connecting with the rockshaft for locking and unlocking the slidebearing, substantially as specified.

6. The plate having its hinged section provided with a roller adapted to engage a vertical inclined slide-bearing, substantially as specified.

NOBLE ANDREW FISHER.

Witnesses:

RICHARD M. CLARKEN, ROBERT T. DEVLIN. 

